YAY! More kind reviewers. I love receiving reviews. It's so sweet. Your words mean so much to me. Now, brandishes sword on with the story! (I promise, it will get more interesting but at the moment I don't know where this is heading.) I'm so sorry I haven't updated for ages but I'm swamped with assignments and am only just finding time to breathe.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Anouk.

Chapter 6.

Anouk watched in petrified fascination as the handle slowly started to turn. She looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, her eyes darting this way and that until they came to rest on a large chest covered in a quilt of some sort. Scurrying over she pushed the quilt off and threw open the box. It was full of rugs and fabric. Cursing she wrung her hands as the door slowly creaked open and in desperation she threw herself under the bed.

The door scraped against the floor and the hinges squeaked horribly as Will Turner gently nudged it open. Sticking his head through the door he surveyed the room and was quite alarmed at what he saw. The huge casement had been opened and a makeshift rope of bed sheets were tied to a hook on the windowsill and draped casually out the window. Covers and quilts were strewn about the room and the desk chair had been tipped over. Will's mother's hefty wooden trunk had been tossed open and the contents mussed.

"Lord almighty," he breathed and rushed over to the open window, the curtains blowing gently in the breeze. The sheets almost reached the ground and for a moment Will worried that Anouk indeed had climbed out and run away. But as he leaned over the sill, his hand bumped the hook holding the curtains and it snapped. It broke off from the sill and went tumbling down, out of the window and onto the cold pavement below.

"Well, she can't have gotten out that way," Will mused to himself, "which means she must still be in the room."

Reviewing the sight before him, Will paced the room, mapping out in his mind, the places where Anouk could be hiding.

"Not in the cupboard, that's too simple. Umm, she tried the chest; behind the curtains would've been no good," he paused, "the only place left is…" his eyes settled on the bed.

 Uh oh.

Those were the few choice words that flew into Anouk's mind when she heard Will stop suddenly. She knew he had figured out where she was. She knew he would have sooner or later. She scrambled around to curl up against the back wall. She could hear his footsteps as he strode over to the bed and suddenly a pair of hands appeared, snatching at thin air, trying to find her.

"Anouk! I know you're under there and I, well, I just want you to know there's no need to be afraid," she heard his voice as though he were very far away, "you can come out now." The moving hands stilled and retreated from her sight. But Anouk was too distracted to notice that Will had now crouched down and was peering at her.

In her mind she heard screaming and then the sound of something hitting a hard surface. Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to erase the horrible sounds from her head, and then that voice again.

He won't hurt you. He's not like the other one.

"Other one?" Anouk whimpered out loud.

Your brother.

After that the sounds passed almost as quickly as they had come. Anouk opened her eyes slowly to find Will's concerned gaze resting on her crumpled figure.

She tried to smile. "I'm ok now."

He didn't look convinced.

"Really, I am," she crawled out from under the double bed, "you're not like him at all."

Will managed to look politely confused as Anouk inched out of her hiding place.

"Not like who, Anouk?" the question hung in thin air as she looked away from him, playing with the divan cover.

"Like him." She whispered.

Will felt himself becoming slightly impatient. And then he wondered what the poor girl had gone through, to make her so. So he asked gently,

"Who, Anouk? Who am I not like?"

It took a moment for her to respond and then it was not even a full answer.

"Someone I used to know," she didn't seem to want to continue. Looking down at the floor she twisted a piece of carpet between her fingers, "he used to love me."

Will sat back on his haunches. "Oh. Well, that's probably a good thing then. Because I'm married, Anouk."

"I know."

She was a strange one, he thought. Very complex and sharp. And very beautiful as well. But also very disturbed, from what he had heard from her.

He stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it and he hauled her up.

"How old are you?" the question popped out of his mouth before he had a chance to register what he'd said.

She didn't seem offended at all, merely smiled and asked him how old he thought she was.

"18…19 maybe?" he was unsure.

She smiled dimly, brushing her limp hair from her face.

"Seem a bit younger do I? I'm 25."

Out in the hallway, Jack groaned and leant against the wall. He could hear them conversing and longed to know what they were talking about. Elizabeth seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"It's been quite a while now, hasn't it," she looked at Jack nervously, "you don't think something's happened?"

Jack tried to dull his curiosity and edginess by taking it out on her, "What on earth could possibly 'appen, woman?" he snapped, waving his hands in her face, "there's now where fer th' girl to run." An' anyway, if she did she'd 'ave me on her tail, Jack added to himself.

"I'm sorry Jack but I'm merely being concerned for my husband's safety in there!" Elizabeth's voice was rising slightly.

Jack was taken aback at this. Young miss Turner was worried about her husband being attacked by a girl, who was probably only about 19 or 20. Then he smirked. Another thought had just occurred to him. Maybe miss Elizabeth was jealous. He stroked his braided beard thoughtfully as he pondered this. It was a long shot, but definitely possible. He didn't notice that Elizabeth was still ranting.

"I mean, she could be doing anything to him. It's unbelievable! I know Will can take care of himself, but that girl-" she spat, "she seemed like a fighter, dangerous," she paused for breath, "she was creepy. I don't like the idea of them being in there alone together."

"Ahhh, so miss Liz is feelin' a bit green eyed is she?" he chuckled, "Will loves ya, darlin, he'd never do nothing to 'urt ya."

"What if he does? What if this is the first time? We've only been married for a month! A MONTH!" she shrieked as her bun loosened and began to unravel as she paced the room frantically.

Jack moved quickly beside the shaking woman and wrapped her in his arms. Something about that girl clearly hadn't seemed right to Elizabeth, he concluded. No one should react like this to their husband helping some poor lass. Elizabeth shuddered as she heard Will's voice again. She stood up straight and blinked back more tears.

"I'm going in." she straightened her hair and smoothed her dress.

Jack sighed and gestured towards the door, "On yeh go then, luv. I'll come with yeh."

Ohmigosh! I'm sooooo sorry its been this long before and update and yes I know the story is moving slowly but I have got an unrealistic amount of assessment due in the next 2 weeks, so this update is short and I know its crap but...oh what the heck, hands out cookies PLEASE trust me, I think it will get better. I've just had no times at all.